I proposed to Fotoup.net a report on the situation of the Arctic region, between Russia and other countries that want to exploit the immense deposits of oil under the polar cap.
It has been published here.

I spent Christmas time to the mountains, same place as always. It was not easy to find inspiration for new landscapes. To be honest, I did not get inspiration at all, but I decided to have a walk with my Nikon eventually. I was lucky in finding a beautiful sunny day. I went to Val Ferret, even more beautiful and charming in winter time than in summer, enclosed among the rugged peaks of Mont Blanc and its rounded buttresses. I started walking in the snow trying to see with new eyes what I had seen and photographed many times. And I started thinking .. “square”. Square is a format I have not used often. It seems a difficult format, which requires a more accurate picture composition than others. I’ve bin many shots because when the square format was applied they seemed meaningless, while others seemed to improve proportion and symmetry. Anyhow, it was very interesting, entertaining and challenging as well.
Here are the first results:

My last photo tutorial has been published on donnamoderna.com today. It is about making greetings cards with one’s own photos to send special wishes to friends and relatives.
This idea came to my mind while thinking how to arrange gift for friends. For Christmas, this year, I decided to arrange only photographic gift. For that reason I’m going to Courmayeur next friday: just to take some good winter photos. It has been snowing for two weeks and I bet landscapes are amazing!

It’s not easy to set the exposure to take a good picture of a snowy landscape. Snow has to be white, a realistic white, and everything else has to be brilliant at the same time and that’s a real mess… By several trials, I developed my method, which is, basically, to overexpose a bit and correct the white balance during postproduction modificaton. Fresh new snow is quite different from old snow, so keep in mind to check the colors of every shot. Also histogram can help me in getting correct exposure, but I have always to remind myself that what my eyes see is different from what my camera freezes. This means that if the histogram is a bit as right, it’s ok. I have to pay attention to highlights, though!

I love mountains and I often get the chance to shot the snow. Fresh, candid snow is so poetic! But I took my favorite winter shot during a blizzard, from the windows of my room… every time that I see it, I feel cold!

Light always intrigued me. As a young girl, I use to spend hours staring at the dust twirling in a light beam, enchanted.
Not to mention how fascinating was the prism to me!
Later on, I met Caravaggio and his dramatic, realistic lights and shadows. Then, I realized that a camera could be my new way to play with light. I don’t worry about eliminating the tiniest shadow with complicated settings, banks and what have you.
I love shadows when they are sharp, when they draw and mould the shapes around. I love lights when they’re bright, oblique and monodirectional. Above all, I love the natural light, however suffused or bright it is.
If it was up to me, I would abolish flash!!

The temperature may still be mild in Milan, but Autumn can be felt in the air. The trees and their leaves have turned yellow almost everywhere and also the cement and the buildings have a a bit decadent look. Autumn in Milan gives melancholy.

To the mountains, Autumn is so far cry from it. Colors are beautiful: more high than ever, yellow and orange and red to go off your head! I’d like to catch these colors and print them over me. I shot trying to freeze emotions, but sometimes emotions are so intense that not even a photo is enough to catch them.

Meanwhile, my second photography tutorial has been published on donnamoderna.com and it seems that my plain suggestions are pleasing to audience. This afternoon I tried to practice them, because I’m interested in giving really useful and handy suggestions, not just theory (otherwise they could simply buy a textbook and study it…) and I really wanna go back to my first shots to remind myself what it means and what I would have wanted someone to tell me at that time.
Here’s the result:

AMAZING. I’m really happy with this great result. I know it’s just the beginning but that’s something anyway. Now people are voting for the best pics amongst the selection and, with a bit of luck, my shot could be published on National Geographic Magazine. It would be fantastic, but as things stand…oh wow!